Being a Family Day Carer... the good, the bad and the ugly...

[Indadhanu]

Can I get some people who are or have been family day carers to come on and give it to me straight...

Shel and I considering doing Family Day Care... at the moment its those great dreams of working together at home, Jazz being here, and its all happy families.

So i need some people to burst my bubble. I know it isn't all giggles and roses... so...

The good, the bad, and the ugly about being a family day carer?

[Indadhanu]

Anyone? Noone?

[{sarah}]

Before you even start the house has to be inspected. You need to have safety gates, locks on doors etc you also need age appropriate toys & games. I think you need to have a first aid certificate too.

Other than that I don't know much.

[Indadhanu]

Yeah luckily all we'd need is to stock up on the toys, the houes is well and truly baby-proofed, and I've got my First Aid Course next month.

But yeah I'm looking for more like the things they don't tell you on the website. Theres lots of fantastic stories about mums who absolutely love their jobs as FDCarers, but nothing about the hours, or after hours, or even how many hours you need to put into it...?

[amberj]

I can only tell you from the perspective of someone who uses FDC and talking a bit to my carer. (I should point out here that I would not cope very well with being a day carer, so I am just going to point out all the bits I can see that would be really hard- but maybe just hard to me, not to you iykwim):

- The house is always FULL of toys. Not just the usual kid clutter, but toys EVERYWHERE. LOTS of them.
- There is no division between home and work. Your home always has people coming in and out of it, and kids all over it and through it. Not much is private.
- Its always really loud. If you have a headache or need a nap or something, it just can't happen.
- My FDC provider complains about all of the regulation and paperwork, which she says is overwhelming. Many, many weekends she is off doing the necessary courses etc and you have to re-do them every couple of years. She has to keep all sorts of records and paperwork (eg- everyday that Peter is there, she is supposed to write a little paragraph about his day and things he did).
- You can't put on TV or play the radio when the kids are there, its "against the rules", unless you are playing children's music (but no TV at all).
- its always chaotic and messy

So those are all the things that would drive me crazy!!! But my carer loves having that kind of open house full of people and kids, so she thinks its great. Guess it depends on what you guys are like.

I would add one general word on working with your partner- I work with my hubby and while its generally great, there are certainly lots of possibilities for increased conflict. My best advice is to make it really clear from the outset who's role is what and what you expect one another to do. Helps heaps!

Good luck, sounds like an exciting idea!

[Indadhanu]

Thanks Jessica, definitely some things to consider!

[danniellabella]

I use FDC and have done since Jazz was 3 months old. I think the rules in SA are different. There's no "no tv" rule. Both our old carer and our current carer always have the TV on with kids shows (the old carer would watch days of our lives and the news and things like that on Thursdays when she only had Jazz and her grandson).
Our old carer had all the toys in the family room but the kids were able to go almost anywhere in the house under supervision.

The new carer converted her double garage into the daycare room and all the toys are there. It's a really big space with its own entrance so you don't go into the actual house. The big room has play areas and an area for tv - but it's all open. There's even a desk for the school age kids to do homework.

I think the hours are set by you in negotiation with the parents. Some carers (like my old carer) have their own set hours or days (like our old FDC only worked Mon-Thurs, no public holidays, no weekends and no evenings). Our new carer will do 7 days a week by negotiation, and will go late into the evening by negotiation. She also does public holidays if required. She does charge double her hourly rate for weekends and public holidays though.

I don't know if I would have the patience to be a FDC person, but I admire those who are. My experience is that they are wonderful people and love kids. I think it's great that they open up their homes to kids like that.

If you decide to do it then I wish you all the best, I'm sure it's a hard but rewarding job. As a parent though, I love the home environment for my daughter's care.

[mrsmac]

Riley's FDC lady has the TV on in the morning (kids shows) She also has all the kids have sleeps in the afternoon so some time to herself.
She is becoming increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy though, she has been an FDC carer for 15 yrs and she said its getting out of hand (I agree with her)
She has her lounge/dining room and kitchen gated off from the kids so that they stay tidy etc and are there for her kids who are all teenagers or older.
I agree with Danni though, I LOVE FDC cause I wanted a home environment for Riley not a centre.

[rufalina]

Another FDC user, not a carer... But I have considered doing it, fleetingly, so here are my thoughts...

1 - There is not a lot of money in it. Here in NSW the carer can have up to 5 kids at any time, including their own. And they get around $55 odd per day to them (plus we pay a fee to the FDC organisation), and that is working on a 9 hour day.

2 - Hours are set by the carer, in negotation with the parents, I have 8-6 booked, and usually arrive 7.45, and pick up anywhere between 4-6, but I expect she is available till 6 for me. My carer only works 4 days per week.

3. - Kids rang from 6m - 5 so there is a diverse rang to kids to entertain.

4 - You can do outings, like visit the park, but you have to be able to transport the kids, and have parental permission.

5 - I think as a carer you can choose not to take children, in the same way parents can choose their carer, and I know my FDC really supports the good carers...

I have others, but my point one put me off... I cant afford to live on that money, considering that I would only get money in from 3 kids, as I would have two of my own. But, for you and Shel it might be different... I love using FDC, and totally support it... So, if you are interested, I say find out more... xoxo